If you love the flavour of pickled vegetables but don’t want to have to wait two (or more) weeks to enjoy your creations, give quick pickles a try.
Quick pickled vegetables make great sandwich and taco toppers, they provide a nice tartness and bite next to chicken, fish and pork dishes, and they’re pretty delicious all by themselves! One of our favourite recipes these days is a pickled cucumber salad with rice vinegar and sesame oil – amazing with Thai food.
Here are a few suggestions to help you get started:
Use Kosher or pickling salt: You don’t want to use iodized (aka table) salt because it can affect the colour and flavour of your pickles and brine. Sea salt and flavoured salts are also best avoided. Stick with pickling salt or Kosher salt – both widely available. We like Diamond Crystal Kosher salt. Morton’s is another popular pick.
Brine ’em up: How tangy/sweet/salty your brine is depends completely on your own tastebuds. If you prefer a tangier/tarter taste, up the vinegar and use less water. If you like sweet, don’t skimp on sugar. Because these are quick pickles, you can season to taste as you go. Know that the flavours will intensify as they sit.
Mason jars are your friend: If you don’t have a set of Mason jars, pick up a set. We find that for pickles, the 500mL size works well. If you’re pickling something that takes up more space, such as cauliflower, you might want to buy a few 1L-sized ones. We use Mason jars for all sorts of things around the kitchen – storing ingredients, whipping up salad dressings – so they’re a good all-around item to have in your pantry.
Stay cool: Because you’re not going to the effort to can these babies, they need to be refrigerated. Check the individual recipe to see how long they’ll last in your fridge, but most will last for 1-2 weeks.
With those tips in mind, wondering what to pickle? Here are a few ideas to get your inspiration flowing:
Cucumbers: We love how well cucumber plays with Thai flavours (a quick search online will turn up any number of recipes for Asian pickled cucumbers), but if you prefer more of a traditional pickle flavour, here’s a cucumber-fennel pickle you’re sure to enjoy!
Radishes: Daikon, watermelon, breakfast – there are so many varieties of radishes, and all are fair game for pickling. Here’s a great recipe for pickled radishes and carrots.
Onions: Our friends at Chatelaine have a quick-pickled Vidalia onion recipe here – we think this would be fabulous on burgers!
What’s your favourite quick pickle recipe or ingredient to pickle? Please share in the comments below!